Spelunking Time!!!

Two weekends ago Casey, 2 friends of ours and I went on a day trip to some caves.  It was AMAZING!  I have been in caves before but never in any like these.  The formations were incredible and the safety features are nothing like the ones in the States. 

      We had a guide, Jose, who took us on a beautiful hike through the forest and told us all about the different plants and their uses.  The hike was so peaceful and the air was so fresh.  It was great to get out among the trees and see another side of Costa Rica.

 Jose told us about this tree, yes it has thorns on it and it is HOLLOW on the inside.  I don't remember the name but it is the tree that people made canoes out of.  We knocked on the tree and it was quite strange to hear a hollow inside.

And here we are, at the opening  of our cave.  Time to get strapped in and climb down.  Thank goodness we had Norman, the 90 lbs rope man who would catch our rope if we fell down the 60 feet drop.  Thanks Norman!!!

                                                                                             Here I go... Down the hole.  As I take my first step I wonder to myself... When was the last time they replaced this ladder.  Is this knot tied tight. And if I fall will Norman really catch me?

This is the angle of the opening from the inside of the cave.  If you are looking at this picture and wondering if the ladder was as scary as it looks... It was!  There was one part of the ladder where the rocks from the wall took over the step and you had to put your feet on the outside of the ladder.  Oh and did I mention that it rained the day before so it mad everything nice and slippery.   

Here was the first stalagmite and stalactite formation we saw.  It was incredible!  They called it the family, so if you look close you really can see people there holding babies and standing next to each other.  Pretty crazy to see.

Here I am with Jose, our guide.  What a great guy!  When it came to the really scary climbs and crazy tight spots he would always say... Ladies First!  I would think to myself there are three able men behind me who I am sure would love to show me how to do this with ease but no.  It actually wasn't too bad and it was pretty cool to be done and watch the guys struggle, hee hee. 

Here are some of the different formations we saw in the caves.  They were breath taking! 

On our way back up the hole to see the blue sky again.

Here are the guys, Huw, Joey and Casey after our adventure inside the world.  Our guide is the one in the red hat and the safety guy, Norman, is the guy in the orange shirt.  What a trip!

After going in the ground we hiked to the top of the world.  We got to the top of the mountain and this was our view.  Talk about breath taking.  It really did feel so peaceful up there and so quiet.  I could have sat up there all day. 

Much Love!